Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice
TRUST ME! A CASE STUDY OF THE INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC
UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA’S WAQF FUND
MALIAH SULAIMAN
MOHD AKHYAR ADNAN
PUTRI NOR SUAD MEGAT MOHD NOR
International Islamic University
Abstract
This paper documents the development of the International Islamic University
Malaysia’s Waqf Fund (IIUMWF) from its inception in 1999 to the present.
Specifically, we examined four pertinent areas: the management of the fund, the
fundraising activities (and the types of funds, waqf khas or waqf am), the programs
undertaken and the accounting practices of the IIUMWF. Interestingly, we found
that although the IIUMWF is recognized as a Waqf, it is not registered as such,
primarily because Malaysian Law requires that funds registered as Waqf funds have
to be administered by the State Religious Council. Given the negative results of
prior studies examining the accounting and management practices of religious
organizations in Malaysia as well as overseas, this decision may be understandable.
The theoretical framework is based on the Islamic concept of accountability.
Specifically, there are two pertinent issues addressed in this study. The first is on
disclosure and the second assesses the performance of the waqf. We examined the
accounts of the IIUMWF and benchmarked against the framework developed by
Ihsan and Shahul (2007). On performance, we computed three ratios to assess its
efficiency: Program Expenses to Total Expenses, Investment Income to Average
Investment and Fund Raising Expenses to Total Related Contributions. We
concluded our paper with various suggestions and recommendations for further
improvements in the management and accounting practices of waqfs in general and
the IIUM Waqf Fund in particular.
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 2
Trust Me! A Case study of the International Islamic University Malaysia’s Waqf
Fund
1 Introduction
The institution of waqf dates back to the time of Prophet Mohamed (pbuh). Waqf is
generally considered a religious and a charitable organization (Islahi, 2003). Sadeq
(2002) is of the same opinion. He argues that the institution of waqf may be regarded
as a charity in perpetuity. Historically, waqf funds were used for the provision of
public goods such as education and health. However, more recently, there have
been suggestions by some authors that the institution of waqf may help alleviate
poverty (Sadeq, 2002). Thus, the increasing emphasis of its socio-economic role is
clearly evident. Peters’ (1986) viewpoint is similar. He argues that the institution of
waqf may be regarded as one of the more important economic institutions of an
Islamic society. In order to ensure that waqf may assist in alleviating poverty, it is
important that the fund is properly organized and managed. More importantly, there
need to be a conscious effort to plan and execute programs that will enable the
institution to achieve its objectives. Accordingly, there is a need for a “proactive
waqf administration with capable and committed personalities in its leadership”
(Sadeq, 2002, p149). Without this precondition, a waqf would neither alleviate
poverty nor help in the socio-economic development of a community. Further, given
that waqf funds are actually funds that belong to the community, to some extent, it is
important for the institution to exhibit credibility and integrity in its activities and
also in its management of the funds. Of more importance, perhaps, is to ensure its
continuity. This can only happen if the organization is financially sound. Herein lies
the significance of accounting. Adnan (2005) argues that waqf may be regarded as
either a social organization or a commercial enterprise. The latter stems from the
fact that investments by waqf authorities as well as the rent charged on waqf
properties should all be driven by the profit motive. Thus, the hybrid nature of waqf
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 3 A donor or a contributor to a waqf would want to know what the funds have been
used for and if the funds have been disbursed to the appropriate beneficiaries. The
importance of providing assurance to the waqifs that the money they have
contributed have been properly managed and have been used for the relevant
beneficiaries cannot be overemphasized. Given that the general well being of an
organization is generally interpreted in terms of its financial performance, proper
accounting practices is essential. Following this, prior studies on waqf institutions in
Malaysia have largely focused on the accounting disclosure practices of such
institutions (Rokyah, 2004; Hisham, 2005). Ihsan and Shahul (2007)’s study was a
commendable effort to develop a reporting framework for waqfs. Their framework
was adapted from the Statement of Recommended Accounting Practice (SORP,
2005) issued by the Charity Commission (under the auspices of the Accounting
Standards Board). No study, to the authors’ knowledge, has actually examined the
performance of waqf institutions. Accordingly, our study examining the
performance of the International Islamic University’s Waqf Fund (IIUMWF) is a
humble attempt to address this issue. More specifically, there are three primary
objectives of the study. The first is documenting the development of the IIUMWF
since its inception in 1999 to the present. The second focuses on examining the
disclosure practices of the IIUMWF. Finally, we examine the performance of the
Fund by computing various efficiency rations. We then compared these ratios with
that of the waqf administered by the Muslim Religious Council of Singapore. Given
the mounting reports on the mismanagement of funds in religious and charitable
organizations in general and the mounting scholarly interest on waqfs, our study
examining the accounting and management practices of waqfs is timely for several
important reasons. First, prior studies examining the accounting practices of
religious organizations have rarely focused on the institution of waqf. Secondly, the
mounting scholarly interest in the management (or mismanagement) of waqf funds is
an issue that should be addressed through empirical work. Finally, the results of our
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 4 The remainder of the paper is structured as follows. Section 2 describes the
development of the IIUMWF. The concept of accountability from an Islamic
perspective (on which this study is based) is discussed in section 3 while section 4
elaborates on the disclosure framework for waqfs as well its performance
measurement aspects. Section 5 describes the data collection and discusses the
results of the study. Section 6 provides the conclusion together with the limitations
of the study and suggestions for future research.
2 Development of the IIIUMWF
The IIIUMWF was established in March 1999 with the initial funds of RM 3.5
million provided by the Malaysian government. Part of the initial funds was used to
finance the cost of living of the needy students at the International Islamic University
Malaysia (IIUM) and the balance was invested (to generate income). The noble
vision of IIIUMWF is to create a global ummatic network. Its mission includes
strengthening the Muslim brotherhood, building international networking as well as
providing financial support to needy students of IIUM. It is indeed interesting to
note that the IIUMWF is not registered as a waqf primarily because the university
does not want the funds to be managed by the State Religious Council (SRC). This
is not surprising given the results of prior studies examining the management and
accounting practices of religious organizations have not been positive (e.g. Laughlin,
1988; Booth, 1993; Duncan et al, 1999; Bowrin, 2004; Rokyah, 2004; Hisham,
2005). However, it must be emphasized here that the IIUMWF, even though not
registered as a waqf, it is waqf in every sense of the word.
The 5 year plan
The 5 year strategic plan started with ensuring that the public knows of the existence
of the Fund as well as its vision and mission. This involved establishing contacts
with individuals and corporate bodies locally and internationally. The first year also
saw IIIUMWF executing its “charity starts at home” program. Staff of the
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 5 deductions. The second year focused on getting the help of corporations (that
provide services to IIUM) to participate in the RM 1 campaign. The Foster Parents
program was also initiated in the second year. Programs in the third year
concentrated on internationalization. This is when the IIIUMWF solicit donations
for its foster parents program from individuals and companies in Africa, the USA,
various Asean countries and the Gulf states. The fourth year plan was to embark on
business and investment activities. In fact, the funds that our former rector, Dato’ Dr
Abul Hamid Abu Sulayman, donated were invested in a unit trust --- the KL Mutual
(Ittikal) Fund. The plan in the fifth year was to invest the waqf funds in real estate.
Funds raised
As alluded to earlier, the initial fund to set up the IIIUMWF came from the
Malaysian government. The voluntary monthly salary deduction from staff of IIUM
provides additional funding for the various projects of the IIIUMWF. Further, the
IIIUMWF’s RM 1 campaign (started since 2000) constitutes another source of funds.
Funds obtained from donors for the Kafalah (foster parents) program is another
source of funds for the IIIUMWF. It is interesting to note that the IIIUMWF also
recruits agents to solicit donations and these agents are paid commissions on the
funds raised.
Programs
There are various activities undertaken by the IIIUMWF. The Kafalah (Foster
Parents) program invites donors to sponsor the cost to maintain a student at IIUM
(estimated to be RM 350 a student per year). The donor may opt to bear the cost of
just one student for the duration of the student’s stay at IIUM or to sponsor different
students for different years. There is also flexibility in the amounts donated starting
from a minimum of RM 70 to a maximum of RM 350 per student. In order to
alleviate the financial burden of some students, the IIIUMWF also assists students to
find work, usually as support staff in campus. This enabled them to earn pocket
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 6 Management of the IIIUMWF
The Executive Board (henceforth referred to as the Board), headed by our
Honourable Rector, is the highest decision making authority of the IIUMWF. The
Board comprises the Deputy Rector (Academic), the Deputy Rector (Research and
International), the Deputy Rector (Students), the General Manager of the IIUMWF,
the Finance Director, the Director of the Management Centre, a representative from
the Alumni and a senior academic staff. Additionally, there is an Investment
committee headed by a Finance Professor that oversees the investment activities of
the IIIUMWF. The Board as well as the Investment Committee hold meetings three
times a year or whenever there was a need.
Accounting practices
The accounts of the IIIUMWF are handled by a qualified accountant (a Bachelor of
Accounting graduate of the International Islamic University Malaysia). Given this,
stakeholders would be assured of satisfactory accounting practices being adopted by
the Fund. However, because the IIUMWF is relatively young, to date the accounts
have not been disseminated to the public. However, an interview conducted in late
April 2007 with the Finance Manager, Sister Norain, revealed that the 2006 accounts
would be available to the public once it has been audited and after it has been
endorsed by the Board.
3 Accountability
A description on the Islamic concept of accountability precedes any discussion on the
accounting practices of any Islamic religious organization. From the Islamic
perspective, accountability surfaces from the concept of amanah (trust) (Al-Faruqi,
1992). Amanah is related to another important concept in Islam, khilafah
(vicegerency). The Islamic sense of accountability is different from that which is
generally understood in the West. In Islam, accountability is viewed from two
different perspectives: man’s accountability to God, and man’s accountability to other
men (i.e. society). Thus an individual worships God and executes all his duties as a
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 7 accountability is established through a contract between man and other men. More
importantly, his relationship with other individuals mirrors his relationship with God.
One can also regard the transcendent accountability to God as the “vertical”
accountability and the accountability to other individuals as the “horizontal”
accountability. Examples of the latter include agency contracts between the owners
and managers, contracts between employers and employees or contracts between
superiors and subordinates (Shahul, 2000). Further, under the concept of khilāfah, the ownership of resources is a trust or āmānah. Thus, any financial resources made available to the waqf are made in the form of a trust (āmānah) and what is pertinent with respect to accountability is the relationship that arises between the waqif (the
providers of the waqf funds) and the mutawalli and also between the mutawalli and
the public. It is this accountability relationship that is of importance in our study.
More importantly, the dissemination of accounting information can be regarded as an
important mechanism through which major aspects of accountability may be
discharged.
4 Accounting practices and performance measurement of charities
There are two pertinent aspects that one needs to address when examining the
institution of waqfs. The first is on its disclosure practices while the second focuses
on assessing its performance. While accounting for Islamic banks is regulated and
standardized to some extent (e.g. standards promulgated by AAAOIFI), accounting
for waqf is still in its infancy. This led Ihsan and Shahul (2007) to suggest that,
perhaps, the Statement of Recommended Accounting Practice (SORP, 2005) issued
by the Charity Commission (under the auspices of the Accounting Standards Board)
be adopted and adapted for the accounting of waqf institutions. Their framework
developed on the basis of SORP 2005 is discussed later.
Disclosure
The disclosure practices of a waqf institution are significant for several important
reasons. First, a contributor to the waqf is generally interested to determine the
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 8 would also be interested to know whether the funds have been properly disbursed to
the beneficiaries. Thirdly, the community has the right to know how the funds have
been used and how such funds are managed. Fourthly, and more importantly, the
mutawalli (trustee) should ensure that the waqf funds have been managed in
accordance with the wishes of the waqif.
Is an annual report important for a charitable organization such as the waqf?
According to the guidance statement on charity accounts (2007), an annual report
represents,
an important milestone in a charity’s life, a chance to take stock of how the year compared to the
trustees’ plans and aspirations, a time to celebrate successes and achievements, and to reflect on
difficulties and challenges. The Annual Report is also an opportunity to highlight the benefit to the
public of the charity’s activities. Its audience is not just trustees and members, funders, donors and
beneficiaries, but also the wider public who have an interest in what charities do and what benefits
they bring to the community (p7).
Further, a good annual report should be informative. It should indicate the charity’s
aims and how it sets out to achieve them. Additionally, the annual report should
provide “a balanced view of the charity’s structure, aims, objectives, activities and
performance” (p7)1. Accordingly, it is imperative that waqf institutions prepare
annual reports for the benefit of its stakeholders. Ihsan and Shaul (2007) argue that
SORP 2005 would provide a good basis on which to develop the framework for the
reporting of waqf.
The Charity Accounts Framework (2007) suggests that all charitable organizations
keep and retained accounting records for at least 6 years, prepare annual accounts
and most importantly, make the accounts available to the public on request. Charity
accounts may be prepared either using the receipts and payments basis or the
accruals basis. The former is only applicable where the charity has a gross income
of not more than 100,000 sterling pounds. A charity with a gross income exceeding
1
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 9 100,000 sterling pounds have to prepare the balance sheet, a statement of financial
activities (SoFA), a cash flow statement and explanatory notes to the accounts.
However, financial information alone does not discharge the accountability of a
mutawalli, satisfactorily. As SORP 2005 indicates,
accounts have inherent limitations in terms of their ability to reflect the full impact of transactions or
activities undertaken and do not provide information on matters such as structures, governance and
management arrangements adopted by a charity.
Accordingly, the Trustees’ Annual Report is an important document in the annual
report of a charitable organization. Similarly, in the case of waqf, the Mutawallis’
Report is necessary in order to explain the areas that the accounts do not explain. In
particular, the report provides a fair review of the waqf’s structure, its aims,
objectives, activities and performance. It is this report that will indicate to a user the
progress made by the institution and whether it has met its various objectives.
Additionally, the Mutawalli’s report will also include the governance and
management structure of the waqf. Table I presents the reports and information that
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 10
Table I
Annual Report: Waqf
i Balance Sheet
ii Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA)
iii Cash flow statemet
iv Notes to the accounts
v Mutawallis' Report
vi Other matters
names of mutawallis and their qualifications
names of advisers and their qualifications
the organization structure
how the mutawallis have been appointed
the decision making process
the objectives of the waqf
the activities undertaken
The achievements in relation to its objectives
any other matters that may help user to assess the progress and performance of the
waqf
i. The balance sheet
The funds of the waqf should distinguish between a general waqf (waqf am) and a
specific waqf (waqf khas). Additionally, following SORP 2005, assets should be
classified as functional and non-functional assets. Functional assets are used for
charitable purposes such as a mosque that is being used primarily for communal
prayers. Non-functional assets refer to investments out of the waqf funds (Ihsan and
Shahul, 2007). Table II presents a summary of the assets and categories of funds to
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 11
Table II
Balance Sheet
Assets Funds
Functional Assets Waqf Am Non-Functional Assets Waqf Khas
Endowment
ii. SoFA
The Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) presents the net inflow or outflow of
resources of the waqf institution. In the SoFA it is useful to analyze all incoming
resources according to the particular activity that generates the particular income.
For example, funds raised through agents should be separated from income obtained
through voluntary “direct” donations from the public. Four categories of income are
pertinent to a waqf: donations, income from investments, funds raised by the waqf
institution and “others”. The third refers to specific activities undertaken by the
organization to raise funds including engaging agents. The last is a category to
ensure that all income other than the first three is “captured” in the accounts. It is
important for the waqf institution to separate this income primarily because the
community would want to know how the funds of the waqf were obtained.
Additionally, distinguishing the four categories of income would also enable the
organization to compute various efficiency ratios when assessing the performance of
the waqf. This will be further elaborated in the later part of the paper. Income
should also be further categorized into Restricted, Unrestricted and Endowment
income. We term this the secondary income categories (see Table III).
Ihsan and Shahul (2007), following SORP 2005, suggest that there are three types of
expenditure incurred or resources expended by the waqf institution: costs of
generating funds, costs of charitable activities and governance costs. Similarly,
Sorensen and Kyle (2007) propose that expenses be categorized into fundraising
expenses, program services costs and management and general expenses. Costs of
generating funds include the commission given to agents in raising funds. Costs of
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 12 operational costs in managing the waqf. Distinguishing expenses into these three
categories enhance the accountability of the mutawalli. However, we are proposing
that the expenses be grouped into four main categories: program expenses,
management or governance costs, fund raising costs and “others”. We also suggest
that waqfs attempt to relate expenses of raising specific funds to the particular
income generated. This will, to some extent, help the user of accounts to determine
the efficiency of the waqf institution (discussed later). Table III provides a useful
summary of the categories of income and expenses for a waqf institution.
Table III
Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA)
Income Expenses
Primary income categories Secondary Income categories
Voluntary donations Restricted Program expenses Funds raised through specific activities Unrestricted Management expenses Investment income Endowment Costs of fund raising
Others Others
iii. Cash flow statement
The cash flow statement records the flow of cash and cash equivalents into and out of
the organization during a particular accounting period. Additionally, the statement
allows users to understand how the organization’s operations are running, where its
money is coming from, and how it is being spent. SORP 2005 requires charities to
prepare cash flow statements in accordance with FRS 1.
iv. Explanatory notes
Similar to commercial organizations, the notes to the account generally indicate the
basis on which the accounts have been prepared. As for charities in the UK, the
accounts are normally prepared in accordance with SORP 2005 and using historical
costs. The trustees should also the accounting policies adopted in dealing with
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 13 v. The Mutawallis’ Report
The Mutawallis’ report provides information that the financial accounts do not
explain. A good Mutawallis’ report should explain what the organization is trying to
do and how it plans to embark on its activities. As such the report will enable the
stakeholders to assess the whether the waqf has achieved its objectives. A good
report will also include the organizations’ governance and management structure and
enable the reader to understand how the accounting numbers link to the
organisational structure and activities of the waqf institution. It is also recommended
that matters such as the names of the mutawallis and advisers as well as their
respective qualifications, the organization strucrure, how the mutawallis have been
appointed, the decision making process, the objectives of the waqf, the activities
undertaken and any other matters that the mutawallis deem necessary so that
stakeholders will be well informed about the waqf should be included in the
mutawallis’ annual report.
Performance measurement
The concept of performance in charitable organizations is rather complex (Wise,
2001). According to Wise (2001), the “3Es” of performance, economy, efficiency
and effectiveness, would be a useful way to assess not-for-profit organizations. In
order to do this, it is necessary to determine the objectives of the organization, the
resources used (inputs) and the outputs achieved. The relationship between the
objectives and inputs used is a measure of economy. The relationship between
inputs and outputs is a measure of the efficiency of the organization while the
association between outputs achieved and the organization’s objectives is a measure
of its effectiveness. Since the objectives of the organization may not generally be
quantifiable, it leaves us with determining the efficiency of the institution of waqf
although it must be emphasized that waqf management must embody the values of
efficiency and effectiveness.
Keating and Frumkin (2001) suggest that the efficiency of a not-for-profit
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 14 Expenses. The authors, however, did not provide a benchmark with which the ratios
should be compared. It was Sorensen and Kyle (2007) that indicated that the ratio
should be at least 65%2. The primary reason for this is that charities are not
supposed to hoard funds. A low percentage is an indication that either the waqf
institution is not disbursing enough funds to the rightful beneficiaries or that
operational expenses are too high. This is a signal for further investigation. Another
ratio to assess efficiency is (Rental Revenue- Rental Expenses)/Rental Revenue.
Given that a large proportion of waqf properties are leased, this is a useful ratio to
compute, particularly waqfs that manage a large number of properties. A low
percentage could mean that there have been excessive repairs or rents charged do not
accord with market rents. Either of the reasons would indicate further investigation.
Yet another ratio that is pertinent in assessing waqfs is Investment Income/Average
Investment. The mutawalli should ensure that adequate and proper returns are
obtained for its investments. Besides getting contributions from the public, waqf
institutions do generally embark on fund raising activities and such activities are not
without costs. Accordingly, a useful ratio to compute is the Total Fund Raising
Expenses to Total Related Contributions. This ratio should not be more than 35%
(Sorensen and Kyle, 2007)3. Table II presents the summary of the ratios that can be
used to measure the efficiency of a waqf.
Table IV
Performance measurement of waqfs Efficiency ratios
1. Program Expenses/Total Expenses (at least 65%) 2. (Rental Income - Rental Expenses)/Rental Income 3. Investment Income/Average Investment
4. Total Fund Raising Expenses/Total Funds Raised (not more than 35%)
Given the importance of assessing the performance of waqfs, we suggest that these
four ratios be disclosed in the annual report of waqfs (where applicable). This
would, to some extent, enable the stakeholders to determine if waqf funds have
actually been properly managed.
2
Quoting the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance Standard 8.
3
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 15
5 Data collection and analysis
Generally, the choice of method depends on the objective of the study, the current
state of knowledge regarding a particular phenomenon, the environment in which the
study is to be conducted and the conditions under which the research project is to be
carried out (Yin, 1989). Yin (2002) defines a case study as an empirical research
investigating a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context. While
experimental research and surveys involve the development of hypotheses and
subsequent testing of these hypotheses, case research often proceeds in the reverse
direction; data collection precedes and forms the basis for the generation of the
hypotheses (Brownell and Trotman, 1988). The case study represents an in-depth,
longitudinal examination of a phenomenon. Consequently, the researcher gains a
better understanding of the “how”, the “what” and the “why” of a particular issue
under study. Additionally, using the case study to examine the management and
accounting practices of a particular waqf will provide a better insight on managerial
and organizational issues. According to Yin (1989), the case study approach enables
the researcher to describe, understand and explain the phenomenon of interest.
However, one criticism often leveled at the case study approach is that the results are
not generalized. To this, Yin (1994) argues that in case study research, the
generalization of results is typically made to the theory and not to the population.
Following this strand of argument and given the aim of this study is to document a
particular waqf the case study method of data collection is used.
The IIUMWF
The total funds, since its inception in 1999 to December 2005, stand at about RM 11
million. To date two former rectors of IIUM have donated substantial sums to the
IIUMWF. Dato Dr Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman, our second Rector, donated his
monthly salary while Tan Sri Kamal Hassan donated a piece of land. With such
exemplary behaviour from top management, it is not surprising that salary
deductions and the RM1 campaign have received favourable support from the staff
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 16 Disclosure
We examined the accounts of the IIUMWF from 2003 to 2005. As indicated earlier,
to date, the accounts of the IIUMWF were not available to the public. However, we
were told that the 2006 accounts will be made available to the stakeholders after it is
audited and endorsed by the Board of the IIUMWF in the middle of this year.
Incidentally, the accounts of the IIUMWF are subject to both internal and external
audits.
Examining the accounts revealed some interesting points. The IIUMWF’s accounts
that are available to the public are the ones that have been consolidated with the
university’s accounts. However, the IIUMWF does prepare its accounts for internal
use, yearly. There are three financial reports prepared by the IIUMWF annually: the
balance sheet, the “trading and profit and loss account” and the cash flow statement.
Explanatory notes to the accounts were not evident. Similarly, there was no
Mutawallis’ report prepared. Given that the accounts are not in the public domain,
the non-existence of both the explanatory notes and the Mutawallis’ report is
understandable.
The balance sheet
The IIUMWF’s balance sheet does not distinguish the various incomes into
Endowment Funds, Restricted Funds and Unrestricted Funds (as proposed by Ihsan
and Shahul, 2007 and SORP 2005). However, the investments made out of the
funds from the Dato’ Abdul Hamid Abu Sulayman’s Funds was clearly indicated as
such in the 2003 balance sheet. Further, the separation between functional and
non-functional assets was also not evident. This may, perhaps, be due to the IIUMWF
not having any functional assets at the moment.
SoFA
It is interesting to note that the IIUMWF has indicated that it has prepared a “trading
and profit and loss account”, thus, regarding the Fund as a commercial entity.
Following SORP 2005’s proposal and Ihsan and Shahul’s (2007) suggestion, a
Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) would have, perhaps, been more
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 17 Income
The income of the IIUMWF is generally grouped into various categories as presented
in Table V (Panel A). However, the income does not distinguish between restricted
income, unrestricted income and endowment funds. Further, given that the
IIUMWF engages agents to raise some of its funds, one would expect the “donations
and collections” category to be separated into the funds raised by agents and
voluntary “direct” donations. Separating the funds in this manner would enable
stakeholders to determine the ratio of fund raising expenses to total funds raised,
easily. This will be further clarified in a later part of the paper.
In 2004, the total income increased by 90% (from 2003) while the 2005 income
posted a 25% decrease (as compared to 2004). Examining each category, in turn,
reveal that the income from business activities, the Kafalah (foster parents) program
and the RM 1 campaign show an increasing and healthy trend throughout the 3 years.
The big jump in the “others” category in 2004 is actually due to the gain in sale of
investments in that year. Interestingly, in 2005, there is also another source of
income “Amil income” that is reflected in the accounts. This represents the income
that the IIUMWF gets from being the “Amil” for zakat collection and provides a very
important source of income for the IIUMWF.
Expenses
As far as the resources expended, there was no effort to categorize the various
expenses into program activities, fund generating expenses, management or
governance and “others”. The last is, of course, the “catch all” category. Generally,
it is this category that should have explanatory notes listing all the expenses that have
been included. Because all the expenses were merely put as a list of expenses in the
“trading and profit and loss account” we anticipate that it would be difficult for us or
any stakeholder to compute the various efficiency ratios. We then proceeded with
grouping the various expenses into three main categories: fund raising expenses,
program expenses and “others” (see Table V, Panel B) to enable us to compute the
efficiency ratios later. However, we were later informed that the IIUMWF will
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 18 emoluments, administrative expenses, fund raising costs, human resource
development costs, program expenses (assistance to students), contingency expenses
and a catch all category of “others”.
Explanatory notes
Explanatory notes, particularly on the core activities of the IIUMF, were
non-existent. For example, the number of students that were given assistance each year
was not included. As a stakeholder, this is one of the information that is of interest.
Further, the basis on which the accounts were prepared was not indicated. For
example, are the accounts prepared on the basis of historical costs or current values?
The Mutawallis’ report
The IIUMWF does not include any Mutawallis’ report with its accounts. This is
primarily because the accounts are currently not available to the public. It would be
interesting to see if the Mutawallis’ report is included in the 2006 and subsequent
years’ accounts.
Table V
Panel A
Income 2003 2004 2005
Donation and collections RM 1,513,830 2,998,538 2,116,296
Business Activities 33,627 34,230 55,351
Kafalah 41,547 53,176 62,312
RM 1 campaign 16,085 20,568 29,897
Others 8,551 62,353 17,658
Dividends 347,751 548,918 494,838
Amil income 21,526
Total 1,961,392 2,797,8793,717,783
Panel B
Expenses 2003 2004 2005
Fund raising expenses RM 50000 50000 0
Program Expenses (Students' assistance) 782805 1601988 919676
Others 1514652 642582 1651756
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 19 Performance
The core program of the IIUMWF is to assist needy students of the IIUM. As
presented in Table VI, three ratios to assess the efficiency of the IIUMWF were
computed. The recommended percentage of at least 65% for Program
Expenses/Total Expenses, as suggested by Sorensen and Kyle (2007), was only
evident in 2004. Both 2003 and 2005 percentages are well below 65%. The low
percentage could mean that there were not many students requiring assistance in
2003 and 2005. Alternatively, it could also mean that the expenses of the IIUMWF
are much too high. The latter, is undoubtedly, a cause for concern. The program
expenses primarily refer to the amounts disbursed to needy students of the IIUM.
Although the return on investments ranging from 4.7% to 6.7% appears low, this
may be due to the conservative policy of the Investment Committee in focusing on
investments with lower risks. Given that the IIUMWF has no waqf property and that
it has not invested in any real property, the ratio of Net rental income to Total Rent is
not applicable. However, we were told that the IIUMWF is seriously considering
investing in real estate in the very near future. It would seem that the IIUM has not
really met its plan of having real estate in the fifth year of its inception.
The IIUMWF also engages agents to raise funds. In 2003 and 2004, the agents’
commission amounted to RM 50000. As indicated elsewhere in the paper, the
IIUMWF did not attempt to separate the funds that were raised through agents and
“direct” voluntary donations. As such, in computing the ratio of Fund Raising
expenses to Total Funds raised, we used the total funds under “donations and
collections”. Thus, the 3.3% in 2003 and 6.7% may not be a good indication of this
efficiency ratio. It would have been more informative if we could calculate this ratio
using just the funds raised by the agents. Additionally, it would be more useful if
ratios for each particular income fund raised be compared with the expenses incurred
in generating that fund. This would enable stakeholders to assess how efficient the
IIUMWF is in raising a specific income. For example, the expenditure spent on
advertising and soliciting the Kafalah income should be matched with that particular
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 20
Table VI
Performance 2003 2004 2005
Efficiency ratios
Program Expenses/Total Expenses 33.33% 69.82% 35.77% Investment Income/Average Investment 4.70% 6.70% 5.20% Total Fund Raising Expenses/Total Funds Raised 3.30% 1.70% * * There was no agent's commission indicated
While there are various other ratios that can be computed to assess the efficiency of
the waqf fund, we have chosen to focus only on the above three ratios. We were
also told that the IIUMWF in fact calculate two ratios annually. The first is Total
Management Expenses to Total Donations and Collections and the second is
Program expenses (amounts disbursed to needy students) to Total Donations and
Collections.
6 Conclusion
Our empirical work examining the accounting and management practices of
IIUMWF revealed that its structure, governance and management practices appear
sound. Its performance from 2003 to 2005 is satisfactory with a return on
investments ranging from 4.7% to 6.7%. Its income is promising particularly
income from the RM 1 campaign and the foster parents’ program (kafalah).
However, its disclosure practices need further improvement. This is understandable
since there is currently no guidelines or standards for accounting for waqfs. The
framework suggested by Ihsan and Shahul (2007) and extended in this study, is a
good start to having a consistent basis of reporting by waqf agencies in Malaysia as
well as in other countries. More importantly, the accounts of the IIUMWF should
be made readily available to the public. The public has every right to know how
waqf funds are managed and disbursed. It is for this purpose that an annual report is
pertinent for waqf institutions. In an unregulated environment, the management of
waqfs will be wholly dependent on the mutawallis. Thus, the mutawallis’ report is
one document that needs to be prepared by waqf institutions. Given that the Islamic
concept of accountability emphasizes the proper discharge of accountability, a
detailed Mutawallis’ report is a must. This is clearly absent in the case of the
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 21 The existence of an Executive Board and having a committee to oversee the
investments made by the IIUMWF is some indication that governance is not an issue
at the IIUMWF. However, this fact is not reported to the public. Even the website
does not include such information. Further, an established organization such as the
IIUMWF should have an updated website. This is important if the IIUMWF wants
to achieve its vision of “creating a global ummatic network”. On the issue of
efficiency of the IIUMWF, we have found thea related matter, Additionally, the
performance of the IIUMWF in
On the issue of disclosure, it must be emphasized here that there is a dire need for a
standard on waqf accounting to be developed. The existence of a standard will
reduce, to some extent, the diversity of accounting practices across waqfs. This, in
turn, will make it easier for a user to assess the performance of each waqf.
Additionally, this will also make it easier for comparisons to be made between waqfs.
To this end, the efforts of the AAOIFI in coming up with a standard on waqf
accounting in the very near future is, indeed, commendable.
While it has often been suggested that not-for-profit organizations be assessed on its
economy, effectiveness and efficiency, we have only focused on the last. Thus, this
is clearly a limitation of our study. Future studies should make an attempt to
measure the economy and effectiveness of the waqf agency. Further, the framework
developed by Ihsan and Shahul (2007) is based on how best a waqf can discharge its
accountability. Thus, the framework developed is based on the normative---that is
on what users ought to desire. However, what users actually find relevant may not
accord with what they ought to desire. As such, another interesting study is to
examine users’ need for accounting information of waqf institutions. Finally, the
increased scholarly interest on waqfs is certainly a good indication that waqfs will
figure prominently in Islamic societies in future. Accordingly, a study gauging the
ummah’s awareness on the role of waqfs would be a research that is worth
Bridging the Gap between Theory, Research, and Practice 22
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